Retailers android sytem or chinese aftermarket? quality question

[Lm90990]

Hello everyone, in a few weeks I'll become a proud owner of a 2020 f48 x1. Since the car currently has a 6.5-inch basic system, the first upgrade I want to make is an aftermarket Android system. I've spent the past few days searching and watching videos of various models. My question is: are the systems sold by American retailers like Avin and many others actually better in quality compared to those found on AliExpress, or are they simply resold at inflated prices with additional post-purchase support? Because I'm hesitant to spend $800 on a system that might be the same as one I could buy directly on AliExpress for $400. Do you have any opinions or experiences on this?

[Redd]

They're all made in China. The main difference with US brands is support (nearly non existent with China brands) and they do the QC for you. China units quality vary dependent on brand. If you do decide to buy direct from China I would only go with XTRONS brand.

[allinon72]

They all come from the same factory in China. The main thing with these units is you're going to be constantly chasing bugs, looking for workarounds on functionality, dealing with old versions of Android that aren't being updated, heavily locked down boot loaders so you can't root them, etc. Some are better than others, but don't be tempted if you want anything close to factory reliability and smoothness.

[Redd]

I'm on my 2nd unit. First unit screen crapped out after abt 5 yrs and I immediately got a new one. Totally updates the car but yeah don't expect any OS/firmware updates. What u receive on day 1 is what you're gonna be using for the rest of it's lifespan.

[Lm90990]

thanks guys , actually for my f48 there is no oem android auto so i will try with an android screen aftermarket , if i have to spend 500 euros every 5 years its ok , to upgrade the original one to a wider one with a retrofit they asked 2200 euro